STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED

3429 Bloor Street West - Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment Application - Preliminary Report

Date: September 25, 2017

To: Etobicoke York Community Council

From: Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District

Wards: Ward 5 – Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Reference Number:

17 188915 WET 05 OZ

SUMMARY

This application proposes to amend the Official Pan and the former City of Etobicoke Zoning Code to permit a mixed-use development at 3429 Bloor Street West. The application proposes an 18-storey mixed-use building containing retail uses at-grade, office uses on the 2nd level and a retirement facility above. A total of 176 residential units are proposed, of which 60 would be assisted living and 116 would be retirement units. The applicant is proposing 67 vehicular parking spaces in a 2 level below-grade parking structure, as well as 5 at-grade parking spaces located just north of the public laneway to the rear of the site.

This report provides preliminary information on the above-noted application and seeks Community Council's directions on further processing of the application and on the community consultation process.

A community consultation meeting to be scheduled by staff in consultation with the Ward Councillor is intended to be held in the fourth quarter of 2017. In a non-election year, a Final Report and statutory public meeting under the Planning Act to consider this application would be targeted for the third quarter of 2018 (this target assumes the applicant would provide all required information in a timely manner). However

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 1

it is anticipated that the statutory public meeting under the Planning Act will be held when Etobicoke York Community Council reconvenes after the election break.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The City Planning Division recommends that:

1. Staff be directed to schedule a community consultation meeting for the lands at 3429 Bloor Street West together with the Ward Councillor.

2. Notice for the community consultation meeting be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the site.

3. Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given according to the regulations of the Planning Act.

Financial Impact The recommendations in this report have no financial impact.

Pre-Application Consultation Pre-application consultation meetings and discussions were held in the Spring and Summer of 2016, to discuss complete application submission requirements. During the pre-application meetings, staff raised concerns regarding the proposed 20-storey building height and the lack of proposed transition to the abutting Neighbourhoods designated lands to the south of the site. Notwithstanding staff concerns, the applicant submitted this application on June 28, 2017, proposing an 18-storey building with insufficient transitions to the residential properties to the south.

ISSUE BACKGROUND

Proposal The application proposes to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit an 18-storey (70 m in height, including the mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building containing retail uses at-grade, office uses on the 2nd floor and a retirement facility above. The building would consist of a 12-storey tower sited above a 6-storey base. The proposal would have 622 m2 of retail space, 851 m2 of office space and 15,323 m2 of residential gross floor area, yielding an overall density of 8.7 times the area of the lot.

The proposed retail space would be situated at grade along the Bloor Street West frontage (see Attachment 1: Site Plan). The proposed entrances to the retail space and office lobby would be accessible from Bloor Street West and the retirement facility lobby would be accessible from Green Lanes.

The application proposes 176 residential units, of which 60 would be assisted living and 116 would be retirement units. The assisted living units would be located on the 3rd to 5th

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 2

floors and the retirement units would be on the 7th to 18th floors. The applicant is proposing a typical tower floor plate of approximately 770 m2.

Approximately 1,036 m2 of indoor amenity space (5.8 m 2 per unit) would be provided for the development and would be located on the 2nd, 6th and 7th floors. The applicant is proposing 695 m2 (3.9 m2 per unit) of outdoor amenity space, to be located on the 6th and 7th floors.

The application proposes 67 vehicular parking spaces in a 2 level below-grade garage, as well as 5 parking spaces located at-grade just north of the public laneway to the rear of the site. Access to the underground garage would be provided from this public laneway. A garbage pickup area and one Type "B" and one Type "C" loading space is also proposed at the rear of the building with access from the public laneway. A total of 28 bicycle parking spaces are proposed, of which 10 short-term spaces would be located at-grade and 18 long-term spaces would be located within the underground garage.

Site and Surrounding Area The subject site is located on the south side of Bloor Street West, one block west of Islington Avenue. It is rectangular in shape and is currently occupied by a one-storey retail store (The Beer Store). The site is approximately 1,938 m2 in size with a frontage of approximately 60 m on Bloor Street West and 32 m on Green Lanes. The site is bounded by a one-way public laneway to the south that is approximately 4.5 m wide and extends from Clissold Road to Green Lanes. Bloor Street West has a right-of-way width of 30 m in this location.

The surrounding land uses are as follows:

North: Directly across Bloor Street West is the Islington TTC subway station and the MiWay Bus Terminal.

East: A one-storey commercial building is located at 3411 Bloor Street West. At the southwest corner of Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue is an 11-storey building having a 6-storey base.

South: Directly south of the one-way public laneway are one and a half storey residential detached dwellings.

West: Immediately to the west, across Green Lanes, is Kenway Public Park, a City of Toronto park, which contains a children's playground and seating areas.

Provincial Policy Statement and Provincial Plans The Provincial Policy Statement (2014) provides policy direction Province wide on land use planning and development to promote strong communities, a strong economy, and a clean and healthy environment. It includes policies on key issues that affect communities, such as:

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 3

The efficient and wise use and management of land and infrastructure over the long term in order to minimize impacts on air, water and other resources;

Protection of the natural and built environment; Building strong, sustainable and resilient communities that enhance health and

social well-being by ensuring opportunities exist locally for employment; Residential development promoting a mix of housing; recreation, parks and open

space; and transportation choices that increase the use of active transportation and transit; and

Encouraging a sense of place in communities, by promoting well-designed built form and by conserving features that help define local character.

The City of Toronto uses the PPS to guide its Official Plan and to inform decisions on other planning and development matters. The PPS is issued under Section 3 of the Planning Act and all decisions of Council affecting land use planning matters "shall be consistent with" the Provincial Policy Statement.

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017) provides a strategic framework for managing growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region including:

Setting minimum density target within settlement areas and related policies directing municipalities to make more efficient use of land, resources and infrastructure to reduce sprawl, cultivate a culture of conservation and promote compact built form and promote compact built form and better-designed communities with high quality built form and an attractive and vibrant public realm established through site design and urban design standards;

Directing municipalities to engage in an integrated approach to infrastructure planning and investment optimization as part of the land use planning process;

Building complete communities with a diverse range of housing options, public service facilities, recreation and green space that better connect transit to where people live and work;

Retaining viable employment lands and encouraging municipalities to develop employment strategies to attract and retain jobs;

Minimizing the negative impacts of climate change by undertaking stormwater management planning that assesses the impact of extreme weather events and incorporates green infrastructure; and

Recognizing the importance of watershed planning for the protection of the quality and quantity of water and hydrologic features and areas.

Like other provincial plans, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017) builds upon the policy foundation provided by the Provincial Policy Statement (2014) and provides more specific land use planning policies to address issues facing the GGH region. The policies of the Growth Plan take precedence over the policies of the PPS to the extent of any conflict, except where the relevant legislation provides otherwise. All decisions by Council affecting land use planning matters are required by the Planning Act, to conform, or not conflict, as the case may be, with the Growth Plan.

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 4

Staff will review the proposed development for consistency with the PPS and for conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Official Plan The subject site is designated Mixed Use Areas on Map 14 – Land Use Plan (see Attachment 6: Official Plan). The Mixed Use Areas designation provides for a range of residential, commercial and institutional uses, in single use or mixed use buildings, as well as utilities, parks and open spaces. The Official Plan states that "Mixed Use Areas will absorb most of the anticipated increase in retail, office and service employment in Toronto in the coming decades, as well as much of the new housing." However, not all Mixed Use Areas will experience the same scale or intensity of development.

Policy 4.5.2 of the Official Plan contains a number of criteria for development in Mixed Use Areas that refer to locating and massing new buildings to provide a transition between areas of different development intensity and scale, including stepping down of heights towards lower scale Neighbourhoods, minimizing shadow impacts and providing an attractive, safe and comfortable pedestrian environment. The development criteria contained in the Mixed Use Areas policies are also supplemented by development criteria outlined in the Built Form policies of Sections 3.1.2 and 3.1.3.

The Healthy Neighbourhoods policies of the Official Plan (Policy 2.3.1.2) provide guidance for development in Mixed Use Areas that are adjacent or close to Neighbourhoods. Policy 2.3.1.2 states that developments within Mixed Use Areas that are adjacent to Neighbourhoods will:

a) be compatible with those Neighbourhoods;

b) provide a gradual transition of scale and density, as necessary to achieve the objectives of the Plan through the stepping down of buildings towards and setbacks from those Neighbourhoods; and

c) attenuate resulting traffic and parking impacts on adjacent neighbourhood streets so as not to significantly diminish the residential amenity of those Neighbourhoods.

Section 3.1.1 of the Official Plan contains Public Realm policies that recognize the essential role of the City's streets, open spaces, parks and other key shared public assets in creating a great city. These policies aim to ensure that a high level of quality is achieved in landscaping, urban design and architecture in public works and private developments to ensure that the public realm is beautiful, comfortable, safe and accessible.

The Housing policies in Section 3.2.1 of the Official Plan encourage a full range of housing, in terms of form, tenure and affordability, across the City and within neighbourhoods, to meet the current and future needs of residents.

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 5

Etobicoke Centre Secondary Plan The Etobicoke Centre Secondary Plan designates the subject lands Mixed Use Area "B" which provides for a broad range of commercial, residential and institutional uses in single or mixed use buildings and calls for retail, office or service uses at-grade. The Secondary states that buildings within Mixed Use Area "B" will be developed at a pedestrian-scale height.

The Secondary Plan directs that to maximize the number of housing opportunities and to promote urban character, new housing will take the form of mid-rise and high-rise apartment dwellings with the greatest heights and densities permitted around the Kipling and Islington subway stations. In order to urbanize the areas around subway stations, the Secondary Plan provides for minimizing surface parking lots around the Islington subway station. The subject lands are identified by Policy 3.12.3 of the Secondary Plan as an opportunity to plan for transit-oriented development.

The Secondary Plan contains a number of built form and urban design policies which promote a compact transit-oriented development pattern. In particular, buildings and parking structures are to be located in a manner to preserve existing mature vegetation around the edges of development sites. Tall building proposals are required to minimize the negative impact of shadows, sky view and wind on adjacent public areas and take into account the relationship of the site to other tall buildings. Parking areas, access and automobile drop-offs will be designed in a manner that does not interfere with the continuity of the interface between the building and the street to improve the visual amenity of pedestrian routes. These and other urban design policies of the Secondary Plan are supported by the Etobicoke Centre Urban Design Guidelines.

A number of policies within the Secondary Plan address the need for parkland and community facilities required to support the growth the Plan contemplates. The Secondary Plan requires an appropriate geographic distribution of parkland to be dedicated through the development approval process. The specific combination of parkland dedication or cash-in-lieu of parkland to satisfy the required dedication will be determined by the City through the consideration of each site specific proposal. In addition to parkland provision, the Secondary Plan provides for the development of a Community Services Strategy (completed in 2006) which establishes priorities for the delivery of new and expanded community services within Etobicoke Centre. The Secondary Plan provides for the use of Section 37 Agreements to secure the contribution of community benefits through development applications in return for increased height or density.

Zoning The site is zoned Etobicoke Centre 1 (EC1) in the former City of Etobicoke Zoning Code as amended by Site Specific Zoning By-law 1088-2002 (see Attachment 7: Zoning). The EC1 zone permits apartment houses and senior citizens apartment buildings and a limited amount of commercial uses. The maximum building height permitted is 24 m and the maximum density permitted is 3.5 FSI. A number of performance standards including minimum and maximum building setbacks, limits on tower floorplates and minimum

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 6

building separation distances control the permitted higher density development. In addition to built form requirements, a minimum of 25% of the lot is required to be reserved for landscaped open space and a minimum 7.5 m rear yard building setback is required from any Residential or Open Space zone.

On May 9, 2013 Toronto City Council enacted City-wide Zoning By-law No. 569-2013, currently under appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. Zoning By-law No. 569-2013 does not apply to this site because a Site Specific Zoning By-law is in place.

Site Plan Control The proposed development is subject to site plan control. An application for Site Plan Approval has not been submitted to date.

City-Wide Tall Building Design Guidelines In May 2013, Toronto City Council adopted the updated City-wide Tall Building Design Guidelines and directed City Planning staff to use these Guidelines in the evaluation of all new and current tall building development applications. The Guidelines establish a unified set of performance measures for the evaluation of tall building proposals to ensure they fit within their context and minimize their local impacts. The City-wide Guidelines are available at http://www.toronto.ca/planning/tallbuildingdesign.htm

Reasons for the Applications This proposal requires both Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments. The Etobicoke Centre Secondary Plan states that in the Mixed Use Area "B" buildings are to be developed at a pedestrian-scale height. The proposed building height is greater than the width of the Bloor Street West right-of-way and is considered to be a tall building. At a minimum, the proposed development is a tall building and is not at a pedestrian-scale height, therefore an Official Plan Amendment is required.

Amendments to the former City of Etobicoke Zoning Code and Site Specific Zoning By-law No. 1088-2002 are required as the proposal does not comply with the existing performance standards with respect to: the overall building height, total density and rear yard building setback from the adjacent Residential zone. An amendment is also required to establish appropriate development standards for the proposal.

COMMENTS

Application Submission The following reports/studies were submitted with the application: - Planning Rationale - Arborist Report - Architectural Plans - Survey - Community Services and Facilities Study - Landscaping and Lighting Plan - Geotechnical Report

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 7

- Shadow Studies - Community Consultation Strategy - Toronto Green Standard Checklist - Servicing Report - Transportation Impact Study - Hydrogeological Report - Phase I ESA Report - Phase II ESA Report - Pedestrian Level Wind Study

A Complete Application Letter was issued on July 25, 2017.

Issues to be Resolved In the opinion of Planning staff, the height, density and massing of the proposed development does not fit the existing and planned context of the south side of Bloor Street West or the properties that directly abuts this site, as it consists of low-rise residential properties. However, staff recommend holding a community consultation meeting to seek input from the local community on this proposal.

Prior to presenting a Final Report to Etobicoke York Community Council, the following issues, as well as any others identified by staff and the public, will need to be reviewed and addressed:

1. Consistency with the Provincial Policy Statement and conformity to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe;

2. Determine whether the proposed Official Plan Amendment is appropriate;

3. Conformity with all applicable Official Plan Policies;

4. Appropriateness of a tall building for this site;

5. Consistency with the Council adopted Tall Buildings Guidelines performance standards;

6. Appropriate transition in scale to the adjacent Neighbourhoods designated lands including setbacks, stepbacks and angular planes;

7. Appropriate transition in scale to the adjacent Kenway Public Park;

8. Built form and massing issues including, but not limited to: overall building height, density, height of the podium, setbacks, stepbacks, pedestrian realm, wind mitigation

and privacy issues;

9. Adequacy of existing infrastructure to support the proposed development and identification of any required improvements;

10. Transportation impacts arising from the proposed development;

11. Shadow impact(s) resulting from the proposed development;

12. Provision of appropriate vehicular parking, loading and bicycle parking;

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 8

_______________________________

13. Mitigation of potential wind conditions created by the proposed development;

14. Provision of high-quality public realm, landscaping design and appropriate sidewalk width;

15. Determination of parkland dedication requirements;

16. Compliance with the Tier 1 performance measures of the Toronto Green Standard;

17. Public art for the development and the applicant's participation in the Percent for Public Art Program and its Guidelines; and

18. Should the application be recommended for approval, identification of appropriate community benefits under Section 37 of the Planning Act as a result of the proposed

increase in height and density of the proposal.

Additional issues may be identified through the review of the application, agency comments and the community consultation process.

CONTACT Jennifer Renaud, Planner Tel. No. 416-394-2608 Fax No. 416-394-6063 E-mail: Jennifer.Renaud@toronto.ca

SIGNATURE

Neil Cresswell, MCIP, RPP Director of Community Planning, Etobicoke York District

ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1: Site Plan Attachment 2: North Elevation Attachment 3: South Elevation Attachment 4: East Elevation Attachment 5: West Elevation Attachment 6: Official Plan Attachment 7: Zoning Attachment 8: Application Data Sheet

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 9

Attachment 1: Site Plan

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 10

Attachment 2: North Elevation

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 11

Attachment 3: South Elevation

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 12

Attachment 4: East Elevation

13 Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West

Attachment 5: West Elevation

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 14

Attachment 6: Official Plan

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 15

Attachment 7: Zoning

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 16

Attachment 8: Application Data Sheet Application Type Official Plan Amendment & Application Number: 17 188915 WET 05 OZ

Rezoning Details OPA & Rezoning, Standard Application Date: June 28, 2017

Municipal Address: 3429 BLOOR STREET WEST

Location Description: PLAN 2392 LOTS 8 TO 11 PT LOT 7 **GRID W0506

Project Description: Offical Plan Amendment and Rezoning application to construct an 18-storey mixed-use builing with retail at-grade, office uses on the second level and 176 retirement and assisted living units above.

Applicant: Agent: Architect: Owner:

URBAN STRATEGIES GIANNONE PETRICONE DCMS REALTY (BLOOR-197 Spadina Avenue, Unit 600 ASSOCIATES INC. ISLINGTON) INC. Toronto, Ontario ARCHITECTS 2800 14th Avenue, Unit 508 M5T 2C8 462 Wellington Street, Markham, Ontario

Toronto, Ontario L3R 0E4 M5V 1E3

PLANNING CONTROLS

Official Plan Designation: Mixed Use Areas Site Specific Provision: Y

Zoning: EC1 Historical Status: N

Height Limit (m): 24 m Site Plan Control Area: Y

PROJECT INFORMATION

Site Area (sq. m): 1,938 Height: Storeys: 18

Frontage (m): 60 Metres: 63.89

Depth (m): 32

Total Ground Floor Area (sq. m): 1,124 Total

Total Residential GFA (sq. m): 15,323 Parking Spaces: 67

Total Non-Residential GFA (sq. m): 1,473 Loading Docks 2

Total GFA (sq. m): 16,796

Lot Coverage Ratio (%): 57.9

Floor Space Index: 8.7

DWELLING UNITS FLOOR AREA BREAKDOWN (upon project completion)

Tenure Type: Other Above Grade Below Grade

Rooms: 60 Residential GFA (sq. m): 15,323 0

Bachelor: 24 Retail GFA (sq. m): 622 0

1 Bedroom: 57 Office GFA (sq. m): 851 0

2 Bedroom: 35 Industrial GFA (sq. m): 0 0

3 + Bedroom: 0 Institutional/Other GFA (sq. m): 0 0

Total Units: 176

PLANNER NAME: Jennifer Renaud, Planner CONTACT: TELEPHONE: 416 394 2608

Staff report for action – Preliminary Report – 3429 Bloor Street West 17